Reaching the tournament finals was not associated with superior VO2max (61.6 vs 62.6 mL/kg/min; d=0.12) or ventilatory efficiency compared to non-finalist elite Ecuadorian soccer players.
Cohort (n=40)
No
Does reaching the tournament finals correlate with superior VO2max or ventilatory efficiency in elite soccer players?
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing profiles, including VO2max and ventilatory efficiency, were comparable between elite soccer teams that reached the tournament finals and those that did not.
Effect estimate: d = 0.12
Absolute Event Rate: 61.6% vs 62.6%
Abstract Rationale Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides objective metrics of aerobic fitness and ventilatory efficiency that may influence competitive performance in elite soccer. This study compared ergospirometric profiles between a team that reached the tournament finals and a team eliminated before the final stage in the Ecuadorian professional league, focusing on VO2max and ventilatory efficiency, and explored their associations with peak exercise outputs. Methods Retrospective cohort of 40 professional players evaluated during pre-competition screening (Team A—finalists: n = 20; Team B—non-finalists: n = 20). Standardized ramp bicycle CPET was conducted to volitional exhaustion following ATS/ACCP recommendations. Variables included VO2max (mL/kg/min), ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2), VE/VCO2 slope, oxygen pulse (O2/HR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), peak minute ventilation (VE), peak workload, peak heart rate, and test duration. Comparisons employed two-sample tests with equal-variance checks; effect sizes were expressed as Cohen’s d. Correlations between CPET indices and mechanical or electrophysiologic performance markers were examined across all subjects. A two-sided α of 0.05 was predefined. Ethics approval: institutional waiver for secondary use of de-identified performance records. Results The two groups were comparable in age, body composition, and training exposure. Mean VO2max was 61.6 ± 8.1 in finalists and 62.6 ± 9.0 mL/kg/min in non-finalists (d = 0.12). VE/VCO2 slope averaged 21.7 ± 2.3 versus 22.1 ± 3.6, and O2 pulse 154.6 ± 10.8 versus 156.2 ± 11.9 for finalists and non-finalists, respectively; between-team differences were not statistically significant. Peak workload (319 ± 61 vs 315 ± 28 W), heart rate (185 ± 5 vs 193 ± 5 bpm), RER (1.18 ± 0.24 vs 1.22 ± 0.13), and duration (12.3 ± 1.2 vs 12.8 ± 1.3 min) were likewise similar. Across all players, VO2max correlated positively with peak workload and O2 pulse, whereas VE/VCO2 showed an inverse relationship with performance, consistent with established ventilatory efficiency principles. Conclusions Among these Ecuadorian elite squads, CPET profiles were broadly comparable; reaching the tournament finals was not associated with superior VO2max or ventilatory efficiency. Nonetheless, player-level data reaffirm that higher VO2max and O2 pulse predict superior peak mechanical output, supporting CPET as a practical tool for monitoring readiness and individualizing conditioning. These findings emphasize within-team physiological stratification, targeted aerobic development (e.g., VO2 at VT2), and standardized reporting using effect sizes with confidence intervals. Future multicenter studies integrating match-tracking analytics could clarify how aerobic fitness interacts with tactical execution to influence competitive outcomes. This abstract is funded by: NO FUNDING
Briones-Zamora et al. (Fri,) conducted a cohort in Elite soccer players (n=40). Finalist team vs. Non-finalist team was evaluated on VO2max (mL/kg/min) (d = 0.12). Reaching the tournament finals was not associated with superior VO2max (61.6 vs 62.6 mL/kg/min; d=0.12) or ventilatory efficiency compared to non-finalist elite Ecuadorian soccer players.